“Head ‘Em Up and Move ‘Em Out”

 Clearwater Public Library in cooperation with the Clearwater Community Center in Clearwater, Kansas will host “Head ‘Em Up and Move ’Em Out”, a presentation and discussion by Jim Gray on April 20, 2017 at 1:00PM at the Clearwater Community Center (921 E. Janet, Clearwater, KS) as part of the Clearwater activities for the Chisolm Trail 150.  The public is invited to attend the free program.  Contact the Clearwater Public Library at 620-584-6474 for more information.  The  program is made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council.  The early days of ranching and trail driving required stamina and determination.  The drover of yesteryear had little choice but to face the elements placed before him if he was to get his wild cattle to market.  This presentation will explore how today’s massive beef industry owes its beginnings to the men and women who were bold enough to “Head ‘Em up and Move’Em out.” Jim Gray is a sixth-generation Kansan who co-founded the COWBOY (Cockeyed Old West Band of Yahoos) Society to promote and preserve Kansas’s cowboy heritage through the bi-monthly newspaper, Kansas Cowboy.  The executive director of the National Drovers Hall of Fame, he is the author of Desperate Seed:  Ellsworth Kansas on the Violent Frontier and writes the newspaper column “The Way West.” In our modern world we often forget that the food we find on the shelf and in the cooler comes from our farms and ranches,” said Gray.  “Beefsteak was once a steer on the hoof, and so it was 150 years ago when cowboys pointed their herds across the open plains to the railroad corrals of the Kansas cattle towns.  The method of delivery had changed but the spirit of the cowboy will never change as long as cattle graze and beef is on the menu.” “Head ‘Em Up and Move ‘Em Out” is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s Kansas Stories Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and discussions that examine our shared human experience – our innovations, culture, heritage, and conflicts.  The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs, serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program, and encourages Kansans to engage in the civic and cultural life of their communities.  For more information about the KHC programs contact the Kansas Humanities Council at 785-357-0359 or visit online atwww.kansashumanities.org. For more information about “Head ‘Em Up and Move ‘Em Out” in Clearwater, contact the Clearwater Public Library at 620-584-6474 or visit the Website, www.clearwaterkslibrary.org.

Clearwater Public Library – Check Us Out